Apple Magazine - Summer 2017

through their school or a local pool to make sure they learn to swim from certified instructors.

“If you’ve taken lessons from experts, you’re better off than if you haven’t,” she says. If cost is a concern, connect with your child’s school or local pool to find affordable options that work for your family.

Safety is the first reason for your children to learn how to swim.

Another is being able to comfortably enjoy a long list of water activities such as canoeing, kayaking, water-skiing and fishing.

Swimming also brings a lot of
“childhood joys,” says Coral Wales,
a swimming instructor at the YMCA
in Calgary. “When you know how to
swim, you don’t have to miss out on fun
opportunities such as summer camps,
school trips, birthday parties, or even just
hanging out with friends.”
Whether you learn to swim as a kid or
an adult, it can be a lifelong, low-impact
activity that’s good for mind and body.

And, it’s fun. Just ask Rutherford. “The kids love it,” she says. “They ask to do it all the time.” |a

STAYING SAFE AROUND WATER

•;Whether your children are around a pool, a beach or a bathtub, their biggest risk near water is a lack of adult supervision, says the Red Cross. You or another adult need to stick with them.

•;“Put up a fence around any personal pools to avoid children accidentally falling in and always stay alert and within arm's reach of children, even in shallow water,” says Coral Wales, a swimming instructor at the YMCA in Calgary.

•;Boats are involved in more than a third of all deaths in and around water in Canada. Most people who die are men and teenage boys, says the Red Cross. The biggest risk for boating deaths is not wearing a personal flotation device.

•;“Always be cautious while hiking along a river,” Wales says. “Choose the safest routes with least chance of slipping, and never be near or in the water completely alone.” If you fall in, call for help and try to grab a floating object.

PEE IN THE POOL

Researchers at the University of Alberta have proven what many fear: some people pee in the pool.

They tested 29 pools for artificial sweeteners found in urine. The bad news? They found the sweetener in the pools. The good news? It poses a minimal health risk. The researchers also found urea and ammonia in urine can react with pool water and irritate the eyes and lungs. As for a solution: don’t pee in the pool.